natural pet
bright, rainbow-colored ruff collars are placed on free-roaming cats, it reduces the number of birds they kill. Birds have excellent color vision, and the flashy collars work as an early warning system of impending stealth attacks. “To the bird, this rainbow color stands out like a sore thumb,” says Ken Otter, chair of the UNBC Department of Ecosystem Science and Management. “It’s the opposite of a hunter’s camo.” Another study at the UK University of Exeter focused on 219 cats whose owners regularly let them hunt outside. The researchers divided the cats into six groups, including a control group that didn’t change their habits. For 12 weeks, the owners took pictures of every animal their cats brought home and found that collar covers like those used in the Canadian study reduced the numbers of captured birds by 42 percent.
Feed Them a Fresh Meat Diet
SIMPLE STRATEGIES TO PROTECT FEATHERED FRIENDS by Karen Shaw Becker
W
hen they’re roaming outdoors, domesticated cats turn into natural-born predators. According to the American Bird Conservancy, domestic felines are the number one human-caused threat to birds in the U.S., killing an estimated 2.4 billion birds every year. Cats have contributed to the extinction of 63 species of birds, mammals and reptiles in the wild. New studies suggest ways to let a cat enjoy the outdoors without endangering winged species.
Use Rainbow-Colored Ruff Collars A small study by the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) suggests that when 32
Columbia Edition
ColumbiaNaturalAwakenings.com
Play with a Cat Daily Households in which owners engaged in five to 10 minutes of daily object play with their cats (using, for example, an interactive feather toy like Da Bird) reported a 25 percent decrease in captured prey, according to the UK researchers. “Cats who are young and still kittenish will play with almost anything. Older cats who’ve been around the block a few times and know how to hunt and play with their toys do tend to get bored more easily,” ex-
wegener17/AdobeStock.com
Saving Birds from Cats
The UK researchers found that when cats were fed a high-meat protein, grain-free food, they brought home 36 percent fewer dead birds and other wildlife. Because cats are strict carnivores, a balanced diet rich in fresh animal meat, fed raw or gently cooked (rather than rendered meat or meat meal), meets their nutritional needs and reduces their urge to kill prey animals. A feline family member will do best with a diet that replicates that of captured prey: high in moisture content with excellent-quality meat, moderate amounts of high-quality animal fat and a very low percentage of carbohydrates. This means absolutely no kibble.
